


One Last Gift

by Mackem



Series: Imaginary Advent Calendar 2012 [17]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-17
Updated: 2012-12-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 09:39:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mackem/pseuds/Mackem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard's forgotten to hand over his last present.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Last Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Every year, I write what I call my Imaginary Advent Calendar, where each day until December 25th I open another day of an advent calendar that doesn’t exist and write what I picture various people or characters in different shows/fandoms/books in a holidays context. This year I’ve challenged myself to write a ficlet for every day. See Vicky panic! They’ll be in various different fandoms and pairings, and won’t be particularly long (except the ones that eat my brain). Enjoy! X!
> 
> Basically, Spock and Bones are an old married couple, and I adore them.

Neither of them would refer to it as snuggling, precisely, but that's what they're doing. They've settled on the couch together, sprawled comfortably. Spock has pulled Len to lie against him, head on his chest and legs tangled as they slump along the cushions.

Len finds himself half-asleep. His belly is pleasantly full after a raucous Christmas dinner in the mess hall, and he feels warm and cosy in his ridiculous Christmas sweater; a present from Jim. He had handed one to each of his buddies at dinner, then cheerfully demanded they all don them immediately. There’s a reindeer on Len’s, and Spock's has what Jim has assured him is a yeti.

Spock has pushed Len’s sweater up just enough to slide one hand beneath it, stroking his stomach with long fingers rubbing soothing circles against his flesh. It’s pretty goddamn relaxing, for the both of them; Spock is drinking in Len’s contentment with the contact against his skin, and is practically purring behind him.

Len yawns, and before he knows it, he’s drifting off.

When he awakes it's with a surprised jerk. Spock reacts much the same way, startled from his sleep; he may _claim_ to be just meditating every time Len catches him napping, but Len's not buying it. He knows the difference between deep breathing and snores, thank you very much.

The commotion that woke them turns out to be a giddy team of junior crew members singing Christmas carols in the hallway. Len chuckles as they holler their way through what they claim is a mashup of _O Come All Ye Faithful_ and _Last Christmas_ and lets them dig into his candy supplies to make them leave.

When he turns around, Spock seems bleary, but awake. "Coffee?" he offers, already making his way to their tiny kitchen.

"If you would."

"I would, will, and shall," Len grins. He rumples Spock's hair as he passes, never quite able to resist the urge to mess it up a little. Spock could do with a little less neatness and Len is all too happy to provide.

When he returns with two cups, one black, one white with sugar, Spock gives him a grateful smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"No problem, darlin'," Len grins, and presses a kiss to Spock's cheek. Spock takes a sip from his mug then glances about.

"Do we have any cookies? I believe you had a box of some?"

"The shortbread? Sure,” Len says around the rim of his cup. He’s chasing a drip down the side with his tongue. “You want something sweet?"

"I believe Christmas is a time for over-indulgence?" Spock asks with a smile in his eyes. "A small treat with my coffee seems appropriate. And most agreeable."

"I think we ate all - oh!" Len leaps to his feet after interrupting himself. "I completely forgot! Wait here," he tells Spock, and heads for the kitchen once more.

"I had no plans to relocate," Spock calls after him. Len chuckles as he stands on tiptoe and digs through the highest cupboard. He grins when he finds what he had forgotten.

One last gift lies within, hidden carefully at the back. It's a small box of plain white card, fastened with a simple silver ribbon. He scoops it up and returns to his partner’s side triumphantly.

"Here," he smiles, as he holds it out to Spock. Spock takes it, a distinctly bemused expression on his face. "One last gift for you. Merry Christmas."

"I believed we had finished exchanging presents."

"Well, one more won't hurt. I just forgot about this one, I wasn‘t holding it back on purpose."

"I do not have any more for you, Leonard."

"Oh, shush now,” Len scoffs. “It's nothing much. Just get it open, Spock!"

Spock carefully unfastens the ribbon, and long, graceful fingers open the card. Leonard chuckles as his eyes widen at the scent of the baked goods inside.

"Leonard - are these…?"

"Vulcan cookies with a near-unpronounceable name?" Leonard interrupts with a grin. He cuddles himself against Spock, who seems momentarily lost for words. "Sure are. I baked 'em myself, yesterday morning, before my shift. I clean forgot about them as soon as I went to work, I guess. They'll go pretty well with a cup of coffee, right?"

"Indeed," Spock murmurs before shooting him a curious look. "I have not tasted these since I enlisted in Starfleet. My mother would bake them each Christmastime. How did you know?"

Len grins at him, teasing and giddy. "Well, _you_ gave me the recipe, darlin’."

Spock's eyebrows arch in bewilderment. "I do not recall any exchange of recipes, Leonard."

"You wouldn't. You haven't done it, yet," Len chuckles. "I, uh. I asked your older self - God, that‘s damn strange. I can’t call him that. I asked _the Ambassador_ if there was anything he associated with Christmas back on Vulcan. I figure you could use a reminder of…of home. Did I get too presumptuous?" he asks, suddenly worried with Spock's lengthy silence.

He finds himself drawn into a tender kiss. Spock's hand rests at his cheek, stroking softly through his hair. "You did not. I thank you, Leonard. This is…a most welcome surprise. I appreciate your kindness."

Leonard beams in the face of his small smile. "You're welcome, darlin'. I figured…well. We can make our own Christmas traditions together, right? But I don't see why we should let the ones from our childhood slip away."

"Indeed not," Spock murmurs. He raises an amused eyebrow, and presses one of the sweet, spicy treats to Leonard's lips. "May I?"

The crumbs get into their woolly sweaters almost immediately, so they decide the only sensible thing is to take them off, and the rest of their clothes with it. They soon decide that this, too, will become a Christmas tradition.


End file.
